GBC HeatSeal Inspire 9" Pouch Laminator - 1701855

Staff Review

GBC HeatSeal Inspire Laminator Review

Overview:

Laminators are very helpful machines that you can use to protect and preserve important documents and photographs. Many of the laminators available are designed for professional use, which makes them pricey and sometimes difficult to use. However, there's a new machine on the market that's great for personal and small office use, and it also happens to be affordable. It's the GBC HeatSeal Inspire. Check out this new device's strengths and weaknesses to find out if it's right for you:

Features/ Strengths:

• The Inspire has a 9-inch feed opening so it can easily accommodate letter- and legal-sized documents. Also, it's good laminator to use to process small items such as business cards, name tags, and snapshots. You could even get crafty with it and laminate scrapbook pages, kids' artwork, and so on.
• This device is compatible with laminating pouches that are up to 5 mil thick. Five mil pouches offer adequate protection for most documents so your items will be able to stay in good shape.
• The Inspire can warm up in 7 minutes which is pretty good for a basic laminator. While you're waiting for the machine to warm up, you can prepare your documents for laminating.
• One of the best things about the Inspire is its size. It measures just 13.75" (width) x 3.5" (height) x 3.5" (depth) so it can easily fit on even the most crowded desk or table. When you're not using it, you can store it in a small space such as a desk drawer.
• The Inspire is one of the most affordably priced laminators on the market. It's a good choice if you're on a budget but still need a high-quality device. Since it's made by GBC you can expect to get a good amount of use out of it.
• Finally, this laminator is backed by a limited 90-day warranty.

Limitations/Weaknesses:

• Unfortunately, the Inspire won't work with 7 and 10 mil laminating pouches. However, there are other GBC laminators that will such as the HeatSeal H425.
• This machine isn't the best choice if you need to work on larger projects or use supplies such as mounting boards. The Inspire is meant for occasional use and it won't work with mounting boards so it's not likely going to meet your needs in that case.

Recommendation:

The GBC HeatSeal Inspire is a pouch laminator that's ideal for occasional use at home and even in small offices. Yes, it does have a couple of weaknesses, but that's not too surprising since it was designed to be a basic, affordable laminator. And for what it is, it's terrific. This is a great laminator for occasional laminating with pouches that are 5 mil thick or less. It's easy to use and it warms up pretty quickly, especially for a smaller machine. (And it is small, which makes it easy to store.) You can laminate so much with it and you'll find that you'll get a lot of use out of it. If the Inspire sounds like the laminator you need, be sure to check it out.